Device for raising and lowering fire apparatus.



0. M. DEAN. DEVICE FOR RAISING AND LOWERING FIRE APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1907. 927,12 Patented July 6,-1909'.

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G. M. DEAN. DEVICE FOR RAISING AND ownnme FIRE APPARATUS. APPLIQATION FILED JUNE 5, 1907 Patented July 6, 1909.

/// mnnuummm abhor/Ma CHARLES M. DEAN, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR RAISING AND LOWERING FIRE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Application filed. June 5, 1907. Serial No. 371359.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. DEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Raising and Lowering Fire Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for raising and lowering fire appa ratus, such as fire ladders, water towers and the like.

An object of my invention is to provide a device of this character which will raise the fire apparatus fully to the perpendicular and which will dispense with the use of manual labor for raising the apparatus.

So far as known to me, in apparatus of this character in which springs are used for raising the ladder, tower or like contrivance, the springs have been mounted upon movable members; or if mounted upon stationary members, the springs have been combined with some mechanical device for assisting them in the elevation of the fire apparatus, the springs serving merely to counterbalance by their expansive force or action the weight of the pivotal and extension members. In my new aerial mounted apparatus hereinafter described, springs are mounted upon stationary supports, and are compressed by means of a screw-shaft engaging with a screw-box from which it may be released to allow the springs to force a crosshead to the rear, thereby raising the ladder. In my new apparatus the expansive force of the springs is the sole force used to elevate the ladders, when the screw is disengaged from the crosshead, as is hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings illustrating the principle of my invention and the best mode now known to me of applying that principle, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fire ladder provided with my new device, the ladder being in its lowered or horizontal position; Fig. 2 is a plan View of what is shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation, showing the ladder raised; Fig. 4- is a rear elevation of what is shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 5 is a detail in plan of the cross-head-releasing mechanism; Fig. (3 is a sectional detail on the line AA of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on the line B-B of Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a detail showing the rotary support for the apparatus; and Fig. 9 is a detail showing the support for the end of the pipe on which the spring is mounted.

Upon each side of the center of the cap ring 5 is suitably secured an L-shaped standard c stiffened by a side-brace (Z. The standard 0 supports the transverse shaft 0 upon which are mounted fast the two-armed carriers f to each of which is secured a sideail g of the fire ladder.

It will be understood that pieces of lire apparatus other than fire ladders may be securedto the carriers f without departure from the spirit of my invention.

Upon the cap-ring b there are mounted at the front thereof a pair of posts in; and at the rear of the cap ring are mounted a pair of posts 2'. The posts it carry a shaft h upon which are mounted the abutment plates it; and in a socket h in each of the abutment plates 72 is mounted. one end of the guide-tube j around which is coiled a spring k the front end of which bears against one of the abutment plates h and the rear end of which presses against one end of the slidable cross-head m.

Mounted upon the cap-ring 5 outside of each L-shaped standard 0 is a pillow-block a; and in these pillow-blocks is journaled a transverse shaft 0 near the center of which is mounted a bevel gear 29 which meshes with the bevel gear 1 on one end of the shaft 0* which also carries the spur gear 8. The front end of the shaft 7 is ournaled in the central post or pintle t in which is also rotatably mountedv one end of the screw shaft u, the other end of which is ournaled in the post '11 mounted between the posts 2' and upon the cap'ring b. The shaft 1 extends parallel to the screw-shaft 'u, and is journaled in the post 1), beyond which projects its rear end 18 which is squared for engagement with a crank. (Figs. 2 and 8.) The screw-shaft it carries a spur gear w which meshes with the spur gear 8.

The center-block a: of the cross-head. m is provided with guidcways y in which are slidably mounted the front and rear walls of the screw-box a each formed with an elliptical aperture 2 through which passes the screw-shaft it below the, center-block a: of the cross-head m. The upper wall of the apertures 2 is smooth, while the lower part 3 of said wall is threaded as shown in Fig. 8. Hence, when the screw-box a is raised so that the threaded portion 3 of the wall of the apertures 2 engages with the screw-shaft u, the screw-box may be moved along the screwshaft by rotating the latter; and in its movement along the shaft u, it will carry the cross-head 122. To throw the screw-box a into and out of engagement with the screwshaft 16 an eccentric 4 is jo-urnaled in the front and rear all of the screw-box 2 and is provided with a handle 5 by which it may be rotated. The eccentric 1 is mounted between the top face of the center-block of the cross-head m and the lower face of a curved overhanging plate (3 which is integral with the cross-head and is provided with a slot 7 which allows the handle to be swung freely. It will be obvious that when the eccemric t is turned throwing the handle 5 to a horizontal position, as is best shown by the full lines in Fig. ('3, the threaded portion :3 of the screw-box will be engaged with the threads of the screw-shaft a; while when the handle 5 is thrown to a vertical position as is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 6., the screw-box .2 will be forced downwardly and will thereby be disengaged from the screw-shaft S. hen the screw-shaft u and the screw-box 2 are disengaged from each other, the cross-head m is free to move over the screw-shaft u and is forced against the posts 2' by the expansion of the coil springs is.

On each end of the cross-head m is formed an arbor 8, on which is mounted one end of the link-rod 9 the other end of which is connected with the lug 10 which projects from the strap 10 secured to the side ail g of the lire-ladder. Each side-rail g is provided with a slotted guide-bracket 11; and in each slot 12 of the guide-brackets 11 is slidably mounted one end of the cross-bar 13 which connects at their upper end the prop arms 1% the lower end of each of which is pivotally mounted upon one of the arbors 8. To the free end of each prop arm 1a is suitably secured one end of a cable 15 which passes over the idlers 16, 17 rotatably mounted upon the side-rail g, the other end of the cable 15 being suitably secured to the lateral extension 8 of the crosshead m. As idlers 16, 17, move upwardly and forwardly with the ladder-rails g, and the crosshead m moves to the rear carrying the lower ends of the cables 15 with it, the cables 15 pull the upper ends of the prop-arms 14 against the front walls of the slots 12 in the guide-brackets 11, thereby assisting materially in raising the ladder as the expansive force of the springs 70 diminishes.

When it is desired to lower the apparatus, a. crank (not shown) is placed upon each squared end 18 of the transverse shaft 0 and is turned, thereby rotating the ladder and through it the train of gears 79, s and w and the screw it. At this time the handle 5 is in a horizontal position and the threaded wall 3 (Fig. 8) is in engagement with the screw-shaft 11.. Hence, rotation of the screwshaft "u in the proper direction will cause the screw-box .2 to travel toward the posts 7i and will move the cross-head 771, along the guidetnbes j, compressing the coil springs in. This movement of the cross-head will carry the link-rods S) and prop arms 1st from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 1. Should the position of the transverse shaft 0 be such by reason of the rotation of the parts upon the pintle t, that a crank cannot be engaged with one of the ends 18, a crank is engaged with the squared end 18 of the shaft 1'. When it is desired to raise the ladder, the handle 5 is thrown up to the dotted line position of Fig. 6, thereby mov ing the screw-box 2 to the position shown in Fig. 8, disengaging the threaded wall 3 from the screw-shaft and releasing the crosshead m which will then be forced against the posts 6 and which will carry the rods 9 and prop arms 14 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3. In the upward movement of the ladder the cable 15 pulls the prop arms l-ft to the front and upwardly, thus pressing the cross-bar 13 against the upper wall of each slot 12 in the guide-brackets 11. The upward movement of the ladder may be controlled by the friction brake 20 consisting of a grooved or band wheel 21 which is mounted fast upon the transverse shaft 0 and around which is passed a band 22 each end of which is connected to one of the lugs 23 on the end of the brake lever 2st fulcrumed at 25 upon one of the L-shaped standards 0. Should it be desired to lock the ladder before it has reached a vertical position, the arm 5 is thrown down to a horizontal position, bringing the threaded part 3 of the screw-box into engagement with the screw-shaft a.

The apparatus is rotatably mounted upon the girders 26 which are braced by the plates 27 which converge toward the center where they support a journal-box or thrust-bearing 28, in which is pivotally mounted the lower end of the vertical shaft or pintle L. To the top of the girders 26 is secured the basering 29 formed with a flange 30 which engages in a groove 31 in the carrier ring 32 to which the cap-ring Z) is bolted or otherwise suitably secured.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that my new apparatus will raise the ladder to not only a vertical position but also to any intermediate point which may be desired and that should the springs fail, the arrangement of parts is such as to permit the ladder to be raised by manual. labor. My new apparatus is comparatively cheap in construction and may be readily re paired in case of breakage of the springs or other parts.

I claim:

1. The combination with a suitable sup port and an aerial apparatus mounted free i to swing thereon; of a crosshead; supporting devices one end of each of which is connected with said crosshead and the other end of each of which is connected with said apparatus and is slidable therein; and cables which bear upon said apparatus, one end of each of said cables being connected with said crosshead and the other end of each of said cables being connected with one of said supporting devices at the slidable end thereof; said cables pulling said devices against said apparatus and thereby assisting in the upward movement of the latter.

2. The combination with a suitable sup port and an aerial apparatus mounted tree to swing thereon; ot' a crosshead; supporting devices one end of each of which is pivotally connected with said cross head and the other end of which is slidably connected with said apparatus; and cables which. bear upon said appa 'atus, one end of each of said cables being connected with. said crosshead and the other end of each of said cables being fastened to the slidable end of one of said devices; said cables pulling said slid able ends against said apparatus and thereby assisting in the upward movement of the latter.

3. The combination in an apparatus of the class described of a pair of girder members; a journal-box supported thereby; a base-ring; a carrierring, said rings being connected by a flange in one engaging in a groove formed in the other; and an aerial apparatus mounted upon said carrier ring and journaled in said journal-box.

4. The combination with a suitable support and an aerial apparatus mounted free to swing thereon; of a crosshead connected with said apparatus; prop-arms the lower ends of which are pivotally connected with said crosshead and the upper ends of which are slidably connected with said apparatus; cables which bear against the latter for support and which are each connected at one end with one of said prop-arn'is at its slidable upper end and each connected at its other end with said crosshead; and mechanism for moving said crosshead to swing said apparatus, said cables trai'isniitting the movement of said crosshead to said apparatus through the slidable upper ends of said prop-arms.

5. The combination with a suitable support and an aerial apparatus mounted tree to swing thereon; of a crosshead connected with said apparatus; cables which bear against the latter for support and which are each connected at one end with said crosshead; prop-arms the lower ends of which are pivotaliy connected with said crosshead and the upper ends of which are fastened to said cables and slidably mounted on said apparatus; stationary members upon which said crosshead travels; and means mounted on said stationary members for actuating said crosshead.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at said city of Elmira this 27th day of May, A. D. 1907, in the presence of the two undersigned witnesses.

CHARLES M. DEAN.

Witnesses:

EMMA SHAY, Connnmns ODna. 

